Kavarna

Kavarna is situated 63 kilometers northeast of Varna on a rocky beach in the northern portion of Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast. Kavarna’s gorgeous shoreline runs for 42 kilometers, and the Municipality’s entire beach area is 74 000 square meters. The town has a population of around 11 000 people.

Human activity in the area stretches all the way back to the third millennium BC. In the fifth century BC, Greek immigrants from Mesembria (modern-day Nesebar) established the Bizone Colony in the area. Today, the ruins of a fourth-century AD fortification wall may be discovered on Cape Chirakman, 3 kilometers south of Kavarna. The town was a significant economic and cultural center throughout Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Karvuna (Kavarna) and the adjacent town of Kaliakra were the principal settlements of the Principality of Karvuna in the 14th century. The medieval town of Karvuna was renamed Kavarna in the 15th century.

In 1913, Romania conquered the village, which was returned to Bulgaria in 1940.

Kavarna was once known as Bulgaria’s Rock Capital. Each summer, the town hosted a concert including world-renowned rock artists. The first Kavarna Rock Fest took place in 2006, and has since included bands and performers such as Scorpions, Dream Theater, Tarja, Doro, Heaven and Hell, Motörhead, and Manowar, among others.

Kavarna’s history museum has artifacts spanning from the fifth to sixth centuries BC until 1940. The exhibition features artifacts from the region’s Thracian tribes, as well as those illustrating the Slavic and Proto-Bulgarian lifestyles. The museum has an exceptionally unique exhibit: a polymetal ingot, which was used as a medium of trade prior to the invention of coins. The ingots were common in the Eastern Mediterranean area from the second millennium BC. Additionally, the museum has silver coins from Tsar Ivan Alexander’s (1331–1371) treasury. Adjacent to the museum is a renovated 15th-century Turkish bath. There are two exhibits there: Dobrudzha and the Sea Exhibition, which details the region’s marine history. On exhibit are stone anchors, coins, and a Thracian gold treasure discovered on the coast of Dobrudzha.

Kavarna also contains an ethnographic museum, which displays things representative of the Kavarna people’s way of life, as well as national clothes and adornments from other ethnic groups. The show is housed in a traditional Dobrudzha mansion.

The Kavarna area is home to some of the most stunning beaches on Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast. Rusalka (Mermaid) Resort with its stunning rocky beach are located around 20 kilometers from town. Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria’s easternmost point on the Black Sea coast, is also close by. A museum is located in one of the caverns on Cape Kaliakra, where visitors may learn about the fortress’s history and evolution throughout the years. Kaliakra is a natural and archaeological preserve; it is home to several protected species and the ruins of a fortified wall and spa.

The surrounding town of Kamen bryag (Stone Shore) is a famous tourist destination for July Morning celebrations. John Lawton, Uriah Heep’s main vocalist, played the band’s popular song of the same name before dawn on the beach in 2007. July Morning is a hippie custom that originated during the communist period as a subliminal protest against the dictatorship and a celebration of the free spirit and rock music.

Yaylata National Archaeological Preserve, located 2 kilometers from Kamen bryag, has been the site of several archaeological finds. Three carved necropoles and 101 cave houses from the fifth millennium BC are unearthed on a 300-decares-square-mile area. Yaylata is sandwiched between two rocky sea terraces. Due to the enormous number of anchors discovered on the sea floor, it is believed that the bay between them was previously utilized as a port. Yaylata’s castle was constructed between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the sixth centuries. Then it was dismantled and subsequently in the 9th century, a Bulgarian hamlet was constructed there. By virtue of Ordinance No RD-822 of 23 August 2002, the preserve was added to the Bulgarian Register of Protected Areas and Protected Zones.

Bolata and Taukliman (The Bird’s Cove) were two significant wetlands located north of Kaliakra. These locations are home to a variety of interesting water birds, and some of the animal species are included in the Bulgarian Red Book (a list of the endangered species in the country). These are only a few of the birders’ favorite places in the country.

Balgarevo and Tyulenovo settlements, as well as the town of Shabla, are located near Kavarna. Along with its gorgeous beaches and historic sites, Kavarna and the area attract visitors with a variety of traditional events, including the Mussel and Fish Fest, the Week of the Sea, and the Kavarna Rock Fest.